Friendly Plastic® Christmas Card

By Sian Cheetham

Friendly Plastic® is great for using on handmade cards because it enables you to create unique embellishments completely different from anything you can find in the shops. It works brilliantly when combined with other media, and unlike clay it is lightweight enough that it will not make a card top heavy. It is ideal for using in molds or for freehand modeling. On this card I’ve created a Christmas tree using the Friendly Plastic® with a heat tool and adding gems and a sequin.  I’ve also created a frame in Friendly Plastic® for the tree to sit on using a heat tool and a needle tool.

 

Materials
Friendly Plastic®—various shades of red, gold and green
AMACO® Needle Tool
Cream or white card, blank
Patterned papers
White gel pen
Eyelets and eyelet setter
Sharp craft knife and ruler
Craft wire
Small red and clear gems
Sequin star
Heat-proof craft sheet or Teflon baking sheet

Step 1
Use a cream or white card blank approximately 5″ x 5″. Cut two pieces of patterned paper slightly smaller than the card, one red and one green, and also a strip of patterned paper the length of the card and approximately 1 1/2″ wide. Attach the green paper inside the card and the red paper to the front. Attach the strip of paper across the middle on the front of the card.

  

Step 2
Cut a square aperture in the middle of the card measuring approximately 3″ x 3″.

 

 

 

 

Step 3

Draw some stitching along the edges of the strip of paper and around the aperture using a white gel pen.  

 

 

 

Step 4
Add gold eyelets at each corner of the aperture. Set the card aside for the time being.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5
Cut some small triangles of green Friendly Plastic® in various sizes and in two different shades. Heat one of the triangles on a heatproof craft sheet or Teflon baking sheet for about 30 seconds using a heat tool and stick some more of the triangles into it. Heat again for a few seconds and then add some more in a curved line until you have a line of five.

 

 

 

 

Step 6

Layer some smaller triangles on top and keep doing this, reheating each time you add some triangles, using smaller and fewer triangles each time until you end up with just one at the top and have a tree shape. Pull up the top into a point using a needle tool.

 

 

 

Step 7
Heat the tree until it looks flat but you still have a layered appearance. Leave it for about 10 seconds, then add a sequin star on top and some gems, pressing them into the Friendly Plastic® with the needle tool so that they stick. Allow the tree to cool.

 

 

 

 

Step 8
Cut some more pieces of Friendly Plastic® for the trunk of the tree and the bowl and heat them up for about 40 seconds. Press the tree down on top so that it sticks and then set it aside to cool. 

 

 

Step 9

Cut four narrow strips of red and gold Friendly Plastic® slightly smaller than the card aperture and also several smaller strips in various shades of red and gold.  

 

 Step 10
 Arrange the long strips in a square. Stick them down with a glue stick if you are using a powerful heat tool. Heat them for about 30 seconds so they stick together and then stick three or four of the smaller strips into them and heat those. Use the needle tool to swirl the ends of the strips together and create more rounded joins. Add some more of the small strips and do the same thing again and repeat until you have a net across the square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 11
Heat the square again to ensure that all the Friendly Plastic® is soft and then press the tree into the middle of the square so it sticks. Leave it to cool.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 12
Add a piece of craft wire (about 4″ long) to each corner of the square, wrapping it around several times to make sure it’s secure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 13
Attach the square to the card by wrapping the wire around through the eyelets.